Recent After Hours Reviews - Magic Kingdom

[Cara]

My husband and I are looking at doing the paid After Hours event at Magic Kingdom on 6/1. Has anyone gone to one recently? What did you think?

 

[HollowxBastion]

I went to the one on March 2nd, really fun to be able to walk on to rides, have the park to yourself and get to experience it like you have it all to yourself.

TRON at night is everything

 

[summerlvr]

I went to the one on March 2 also. It was not a sold out event (I bought my ticket the day of), and I thought it was great. I don't do roller coasters, so can't speak to those, but the only ride where I encountered a line was Peter Pan. As a matter of fact, when I went to ride Jungle Cruise, I was the only person in line and had to wait a few minutes until some more folks showed up because they wouldn't send a boat out with just one person on it. Did not encounter any lines for the snacks and drinks either.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I’ve been to two After Hours at MK, the first on 1/13/25 and most recently on 1/19/26. We LOVE these parties. We waited longest for Peter Pan at both parties but it wasn’t long. We found the lines for the free snacks and drinks to be longer than the ride lines. Walking around the empty park and watching the fireworks with no crowds around is amazing. There were some parts of the parks where we’d walk for a bit and not see a single other person. Highly recommend. We plan on doing it every time it’s offered during our trips from now on. Just look at the lack of crowds!

 

[firefly_ris]

We did MK in January 2025 and EPCOT in January 2026.

I really enjoyed both, MK is probably more bang for your buck and I would do it again. It was a good way to get a lot of rides in on a short trip where we weren't doing much other park time during our time in Orlando. Of course, it is not exactly the same as a regular park day if you are interested in dining, shows, etc. but my kids wanted to do all the rides including Tron and I really loved walking through the park at night with no crowd congestion.

I liked doing the EPCOT one as well mostly because we walked on Cosmic Rewind 4 times back-to-back, but due to the much more spread out nature of the park and less attractions, that was probably a one-and-done for us. MK I would do again.

 

[BrianL]

I haven't been recently, but I concur that the experience is awesome!

 

[NYCANC]

Our fave add-on ever! Even my kids agree that it is amazing!

 

[aleria24]

Last time we did this was years ago and it was easily our favorite add on. We typically don't travel when it is offered but we have APs this year so we are doing multiple trips. We are going in April. Here's hoping its as good as it was in the past.

 

[Cara]

Thank you so much for the great responses. I booked it for us. I just opened the new Disney Inspire credit card, so I used my $300 gift card for this, and it was only like $120 out of pocket. I looked at the HS option too, but I thought we would get far more benefit from the MK one.

 

[mdsouth]

Are most the rides open during one of these? Or is there just a limited list open.
I am going in August and there will be a After hours paid option and the Mickey's BOO Halloween party at MK I think available the week I will be there.
I am just trying to figure out which might be a better choice for me, if I do decide to pay the extra money.
Long, long, time ago, in a galaxy --- I went to the extended extra hours that was FREE to resort guests with my kids. It was fantastic! We were there in the summer and to be in MK at night was fantastic! Perfect weather temps and less crowds.

I hate the idea I have to pay for this same benefit now that was once the BIGGEST perk to staying on site versus staying in a resort off-site. I will be staying at POP.

 

[summerlvr]

Most rides are open for MK After Hours, but I'm not seeing August dates for that. Not sure about what rides might not be open for Epcot or Hollywood Studios.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is lots of fun, but very crowded. Also more rides are closed during the party because some of them are used for trick or treating spots.

 

[Cara]

Are most the rides open during one of these? Or is there just a limited list open.
I am going in August and there will be a After hours paid option and the Mickey's BOO Halloween party at MK I think available the week I will be there.
I am just trying to figure out which might be a better choice for me, if I do decide to pay the extra money.
Long, long, time ago, in a galaxy --- I went to the extended extra hours that was FREE to resort guests with my kids. It was fantastic! We were there in the summer and to be in MK at night was fantastic! Perfect weather temps and less crowds.

I hate the idea I have to pay for this same benefit now that was once the BIGGEST perk to staying on site versus staying in a resort off-site. I will be staying at POP.

I've watched quite a few reviews on TikTok, and it appears that most of the rides are open -- not shows or other experiences. Tiana's doesn't appear to always be open, but I don't know if that's a general rule or more likely when it's cooler outside or when the ride was newer.